We heard you! New Connections Playlists added to Digital Library

Can you ever have too much of a good thing when it comes to enhancing teaching? We don’t think so. Since releasing the first batch of Connections Playlists in early 2017, educators have asked for more. And we’ve delivered, with 108 Connections Playlists now available in the Digital Library.

Connections Playlists link results from Interim Assessment Blocks (IABs) to classroom-based resources in the Digital Library, providing teachers a path to access top instructional resources. Feedback on the Connections Playlists has been overwhelmingly positive as we’ve continued to release more.

“The Digital Library, in terms of the playlists, is going to give me a just-in-time professional development…it’s going to say, ‘Here is a lesson that works for these kids to teach this skill.’ And that’s profound.”Susan Carle’, Orange County, CA Department of Education

Bridging Results and Resources

There is nothing quite like the “aha” moment when a student grasps a concept, eyes alight with that flicker of understanding. It can be a tough road for a teacher to navigate—it’s not always clear exactly what fragment of understanding is missing. Interim assessments provide a snapshot of what students know and can do, while the Digital Library has over 3,000 resources to target specific concepts at varying levels of student achievement.

But how do you get from one to the other? Connections Playlists are a powerful tool that can help educators quickly access the best possible resource for teaching a specific skill (whether the student is below standard, at or near standard, or above standard). This streamlines the process significantly by providing a teacher-created, teacher-approved list of instructional tools aligned with learning standards.